The last drops of coffee swirled in the mug as I finished it off.
Mikhail sat where Rosalie had once sat, with a deadpan expression on his face. He was just as crazy as they said he was. He was crazy enough to help me anyway.
“Genovese is going to put a hit on you,” he said, his voice flat.
A humorless chuckle escaped me. “Nah,” I replied, leaning back in the booth. “I’m not sweating it. I’ve got a plan.”
If Liam’s daughter was involved, he wouldn’t step out of line. The only problem with my plan was that Giovanni wanted to stay far away from them.
The door to the diner swung open, and Giovanni stormed in. Broad and built like a bull, he lifted his gaze to mine as he took a seat in the booth next to Mikhail, grunting at the realization it was Mikhail next to him.
Funny, how life turns on a dime. I never thought I’d see Giovanni with a baby carrier strapped to his chest. Mira, whowas just a few weeks old, had a head of curls that mirrored her father’s. Her head peeked out from the carrier, blinking owlishly at the bright lights of the diner.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Mikhail asked, looking down at Mira.
“Don’t swear in front of my daughter,” Giovanni demanded.
“I didn’t realize we packed pacifiers and diapers with our guns.”
They hated each other, and I was starting to hate both of them.
“Why the hell do you keep inviting this guy?” Giovanni asked, giving Mikhail a strange look.
It didn’t take long for them to start an argument. Honestly, I should have known better. Coexistence between these two was nearly impossible. Giovanni couldn’t stand how reckless Mikhail could be, and Mikhail couldn’t stand how cautious Giovanni was.
“Can we focus?” I asked, interrupting their argument.
They both turned to face me as if I were the problem. Their bickering was starting to grate on my last nerve. Here I was, wasting time mediating their problems, when I could be spending my time with Rosalie.
Giovanni corrected his posture. “Right,” he said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Oh, go on. This should be good.” Mikhail chuckled.
I didn’t disappoint. I told him everything that had happened after Mikhail met me at Rosalie’s grave. I told him about my meeting with Liam and the new rules in place.
Liam knew the damage I was capable of inflicting. He knew rejoining the family wasn’t just the convenient option but the logical one.
He needed me.
Fighting me was a losing battle—one he wasn’t eager to initiate, especially with his daughter’s safety a concern.
The documents I’d got him to sign said enough. His profits, his network of contacts, his men, even the territories he controlled—they were all mine now.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the power grab. Money and influence were nothing new to me. This, however, ensured Liam wouldn’t have the necessary resources to take Rosalie away from me again.
She was all I’d ever wanted, and I wasn’t going to make it easy for anyone to take her from me.
Giovanni interrupted. “TheClarkes?” he spat. He’d always been quick to anger, so I’d seen this coming from a mile away.
A slow smile stretched across my face. “Just the one.”
Giovanni shook his head. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
“Language,” Mikhail warned, pointing to baby Mira.
Giovanni rolled his eyes.
Maybe I was. The question had been swirling in the back of my mind for a while now.
